DIRTY SECRETS Olly Wilkins

Olly is well-known for his incredible riding talent – YouTube is full of videos of him schralping turns, dirt jumping and pulling massive nose-manuals. But away from messing about on bikes with friends Ben ‘Deakinator’ Deakin (a fellow member of Focus Bikes’ off-road family) and Brendan ‘Brendog’ Fairclough, ‘O-Dub’ has a huge passion for classic cars. “I’ve always loved old vehicles,” he tells us, “and I’ve had quite a collection in my time! My taste in motors came from a childhood playing with toy cars. I’ve gradually worked through a lot of my favourite ones as an adult, although I’m still working on a Porsche 964 and a Ferrari F40.”

Cars made in the ’80s and ’ 90s are his favourite era. “I like square shapes and I want everything to be mechanical and analogue,” he tells us. “It’s often a pain in the backside having old cars, but you know what you sign up for when you start. I enjoy the process of looking after them and taking on simpler jobs myself.

Gradually you end up knowing loads about these old bangers!”

While he used to drive a modified Mazda B2000 pickup truck, Olly is now rocking a 1988 Mercedes G-Wagon. “It’s a G-class W460 short-wheelbase with a 3l non-turbo diesel engine; basically the guts of a tractor! I can switch from two-wheel-drive to 4x4 for off-roading and select ‘low’ range, add in two independently-lockable differentials and it’s actually very difficult to get stuck. Especially at the coffee shop! There’s nothing better than taking the long (off-road) way home down the green lanes from the trails after a day of biking, and watching the sun set as I cruise.”

He admits: “It’s slow, it’s not fuel efficient, it’s cold in the winter and hot in the summer, and there’s no radio, but I love it! I’ve added a Yakima rack to transport my bikes in style. At one point I toyed with the idea of an engine conversion, but decided against it. I can’t imagine going fast in this thing! I love my G!”

What our favourite MTBers get up to when they’re not messing about in the mud

IT’S A G-CLASS W460 WITH THE GUTS OF A TRACTOR! IT’S ACTUALLY VERY DIFFICULT TO GET STUCK. ESPECIALLY AT THE COFFEE SHOP!